Police Group Endorses ICE Protection Act
The National Police Association has endorsed the ICE Protection Act of 2026. The endorsement follows Department of Homeland Security reports of protestors using vehicles as weapons against Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers.
The ICE Protection Act of 2026, introduced by Senator John Cornyn, would double the maximum prison term from 20 to 40 years for assaulting a federal officer with a deadly weapon. It also introduces mandatory minimum sentences of five to ten years for specifically using a vehicle to harm an officer, with the sentence length depending on the severity of the injury. The endorsement follows Department of Homeland Security reports of a dramatic increase in assaults against its officers. One DHS report stated that from January 2025 to January 2026, ICE officers experienced 66 vehicular attacks, a 3,200% increase from the two attacks during the same period the previous year. Another report cited 182 vehicle attacks against ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers since January 2025. However, some of the claims made by DHS regarding vehicle attacks have faced judicial skepticism. A federal judge reviewing evidence from incidents in Chicago, including body camera footage, found claims of officers being rammed "every day" were "difficult, if not impossible, to believe" and suggested some agents may have "break checked other motorists to force accidents." The National Police Association, a non-profit that advocates for law enforcement, has also endorsed other legislation such as the "Lawless Cities Accountability Act" and the "Halo Act," which aims to protect federal immigration officers from harassment. The organization's missions include policy advocacy, legal defense for officers, and promoting pro-police messaging. In contrast to the punitive measures of the ICE Protection Act, some lawmakers have introduced bills aimed at increasing oversight. The ICE Accountability Act, for example, seeks to create an independent watchdog to monitor ICE and CBP operations. Meanwhile, the ACLU has filed multiple lawsuits against the Department of Homeland Security, alleging a pattern of abuse, unlawful arrests, and racial profiling by federal agents in cities like Minneapolis. Several states and cities are actively working to limit local law enforcement's cooperation with federal immigration authorities. In states like New Jersey, Washington, and California, legislators have introduced bills to prohibit the hiring of former ICE agents for state and local law enforcement jobs, create "safe community spaces," and increase privacy protections for immigrants.
